Tell Your U.S. Representative to Support Darwin Day Resolution

January 24, 2013

Earlier this week, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives “expressing support for the designation of February 12, 2013, as Darwin Day, and recognizing the importance of science in the betterment of humanity.”

States that evolution “provides humanity with a logical and intellectually compelling explanation for the diversity of life on Earth”;

Demands that the “advancement of science be protected from those unconcerned with the adverse impacts of global warming and climate change”;

Confirms that the “teaching of creationism in some public schools compromises the scientific and academic integrity of the United States’ education systems.”

As you might already know, some members of Congress – including several members of the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology – have rejected overwhelming scientific evidence on subjects such as evolution, reproductive health, and climate change.

Furthermore, studies have found that few public school science educators detail the evidence for evolution and explain its role as a unifying theme in all of biology – and that some educators even teach creationism. It should come as no shock, then, that American students continue to lag behind their international competitors in science and mathematics.

Our children cannot succeed without a firm grasp of basic scientific principles, including the theory of evolution. Children will not even consider careers in science unless society recognizes and celebrates the groundbreaking work of scientists such as Charles Darwin, whose curiosity and ingenuity made possible an age of new scientific discoveries that has helped to advance medicine and improved living conditions across the globe.

In order to show members of the U.S. House that American citizens strongly support the role of scientific evidence in policymaking, investment in science education, and improvements to scientific literacy, the Center for Inquiry strongly urges you to contact your Representative and tell him or her to co-sponsor H.Res 41.

Comment

Office of Public Policy

Washington, D.C.

Michael De Dora is director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy and the organization's representative to the United Nations. In addition, he serves as president of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief.